Well that's odd
by StormxKira
Summary: You would think it would be easier to win a game of Pokemon, wouldn't you? Well that's what Rachel Pendragon thought before she was dragged into the game itself! This has become more than a game, it's life or death, and every turn counts.
1. Rhydon's and Kittens and Boys, oh my!

Yeah, this is pretty much a spoof story I made that I've actually been plotting for a long time. Sorry the intro sucks. ;

A young girl rested on her bed, biting down her lip anxiously as she played button-smasher with her controller. "Ohh, oohhhh…!" she moaned as her Rhydon's HP levels dropped to a mere 21. She was in trouble, and she knew it. This calls for some drastic measures, she thought determinedly, going to her cheat codes quickly.

"Rachel!" came her mother's voice. Rachel rolled her eyes and continued flipping through, while on her Pokemon Stadium game, the announcer's voice said "What's the matter, trainer?"

"Rachel!" came the call again, only this time it sounded angry. And so was Rachel. With a snarl of frustration, she tossed the piece of paper aside and paused the game, opened her door and ran to the end of the top of the stairs.

"What, Mom?" she asked exasperatedly. This was a huge battle, and here her Mom was interrupting it. Apparently she didn't understand the true meaning of being able to win a Pokemon battle without her elder brother's advice.

"Rachel," her mother said from her room. "I need to you take care of the cats' litter boxes. They're filthy, and I don't want Autumn going on the carpet again." Rachel sighed, her chestnut bangs falling over her face.

"Yeah, Mom…" she groaned, trudging back downstairs.

"Don't you give me lip, young lady!" her mother warned and Rachel merely waved her off, knowing the woman couldn't see her now. She was back in her own room which was conveniently next to the dining room, flopped out over her bed. She resumed her game, but now her entire train of thought was gone, and in a matter of moments, Bulbasaur cut through her Rhydon, causing her to white out.

"Dammit!" she hissed angrily. She was 16, and yes, maybe a little old to be playing N64, let alone Pokemon, but who cared? It was fun, addictive, and it let her vent. She had always loved Pokemon, right from the day her brother, whom was 2 years older than herself, showed her a Poliwhirl card. She was infatuated with the idea of using these adorable creatures to fight. Soon, that Poliwhirl became hers, her brother's claim being that 'the corner was bent'. She figured he just wanted her to stop begging. And no matter how hard she tried, no matter how many cards she collected or traded, she was never good enough for her brother. He kicked her butt every time, and it annoyed her to no end. So when he had bought Pokemon Stadium, shortly before leaving for college, Rachel took it over and began fighting., learning tactics to help her. But she was still an amateur at best.

"I'll take care of the cats later," she muttered to herself as the game restarted. But there was something strange about the opening screen…Had that Charizard's eyes glowed? Or was it just something she had missed before…? She gasped as the power surged for a moment, everything going black.

"Mom! Fuse!" she called. Rachel looked puzzled when there was no response. "MOM! There's a fuse out!" she called again, moaning as again, there was no response. She tried to stand up, then crumpled to the cold ground without warning. "Mom…" she murmured before she let her head drop. She expected it to hit the floor, for her long, red-tipped hair to spill out behind her like a fiery fountain, but instead it felt like she was just falling. She freaked out for a moment, giving one last scream for her mother before she saw a boy in front of her, glowing in the unnerving darkness. His hair was silver and his eyes a little slanted, ruby red in color. Rachel's own hazel eyes widened in fear and clung to the boy. She didn't know him, but he was all she had right now. "Help me…" she sobbed, then everything went black as his arms wrapped around her and he whispered, "I'll try…"

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So how was Chapter 1? I know it was a little choppy, but I hope it gets better from here on out. I don't really know why I picked the name Rachel, and I haven't decided on a name for the mysterious boy yet either. But yeah, half of it was rambling. I ramble. Deal with it. 


	2. Temporary Help?

This chapter will be written from Rachel's point of view.

When I woke up, everything was kinda hazy. I could see, but it was a bunch of blurs. And I was really, really sore. Every part of me ached. I tried to stand up, like I had in my room, and to my surprise I didn't fall. That was good, I was thankful for that. Falling hurts. That's probably why you're sore, I scolded myself.

My eyes came to focus and my jaw dropped. Oh…crap…Call me naïve, but judging by the style of the area around me…it looked familiar…I'm in the Pokemon world! Ha! Hahaha! I laughed at myself, openly in fact.

"Rachel, you moron, you must just be dreaming, that's all!" I consoled myself, rubbing my forehead. "You took a bump to the head and you started dreaming. Nothing strange about that…Gonna hurt tomorrow though…" But wait…Didn't Mom used to always tell me when I was little that a dream can never hurt you? In my younger days, I had had a bad habit of staying up late and watching vampire movies. I still love vampires, but I can't watch the movies. I used to have nightmares that Mom got killed by one and that I had to kill the vampire, but it would always kill me first. Yeah…That was when Mom first told me that. So if I'm dreaming…how am I sore…?

I looked around me frantically. There was no sign of the boy I had seen in the darkness. My heart sank. He seemed like he was the only key to figuring out what the hell was going on around here. Great, Rachel, now you're lost and hopeless, I mentally sighed. "This sucks so bad…" I muttered, flopping down in the grass. I don't know how long I was laying there, but I know that I fell asleep in the sun.

Such a wonderful dream, that boy was there again, and he was comforting me, whispering indistinct words in my ears. It made me feel calmer. But I got jerked out of that when I felt a cold, wet thing by my face. And…whiskers?! I yelped in surprise and shot up, my eyes snapped open. I stared wide-eyed as a Rattata(sp?) scampered away in fright. Oh man…this is no dream…This is real. I felt my face where the Rattata's nose had been and looked at my fingers. They were wet. This was really real. Way too real for my liking.

"Ohh, Rattata! Come back here, Rattata!" came a boy's voice. My heart thrilled. Perhaps it was the boy that was in the shadows? I couldn't quite remember his voice exactly, I just remember those words: "I'll try…" They were so soft and kind, carrying warmth and compassion….Or maybe the hormones imagined that part.

I looked up at the boy and my heart sank for the second time. This wasn't him. This boy had the darkest hair I'd ever seen, pure raven black, and brilliant green eyes. They reminded me of my mother's eyes. He was wearing a black tank top with a crimson Oriental-style dragon lacing across it and baggy black jeans. I looked at him for a moment. He looked emo, but I doubted that he was. He was grinning from ear to ear, and from what I understand, emo's don't really grin that often. Or at least, they try not to.

"Uhm…Excuse me," I said meekly, trying to get his attention. His ear flicked—or was that me again?—and he turned to me. He looked surprised.

"Oh! Uhm…Gimme just a second," he said, looking sheepish as he chased after his runaway Rattata. I sighed. Do I just wait here or what? It was now that I actually looked at myself. My eyes widened. This was hardly what I'd been wearing in my room. They were kinda tight jeans, not high-riders thank the Lord, and I was wearing a sleeveless shirt—borderline tube top if ya ask me—that was pure red with a black Flammel on it. ((Ooc: For people who watch FMA, that's the little symbol on Ed's cloak.)) I was wearing light blue tennis shoes. I stomped my foot in frustration as I realized I was a complete red-head now, ponytail to boot. If I hadn't known any better, I would have called myself a hillbilly slut. No wonder that kid was so freaked out, I thought, lying back in the grass.

"I hope he gets back soon," I muttered, my arms behind my head as I watched the clouds roll by.


	3. Cloudy Days

It was a long while before the black-haired boy came back again, and Rachel was getting impatient. He came back, fussing with his Rattata, trying to calm it so he could get it back in its Pokeball. Rachel smiled softly as she watched how gently he handled the Pokemon, and the Rattata soon relaxed, melting in his arms. The boy smiled broadly and kissed its purple forehead before sending it back in its Pokeball.

"Pretty impressive," Rachel commented. The boy jumped a little, as if he'd forgotten she was there. He looked like he was about 17, and there were leaves stuck in his hair from running in the forest after his beloved Pokemon.

"Oh, that?" he chuckled. "Faroa's been awfully rebellious lately," he admitted. Rachel assumed that was the Rattata's nickname. She smiled at him when he met her eyes. "By the way, name's Storm. Yours?"

There was something so cool about how he worked, like it was easy but cold at the same time. His words were blunt, but they were relaxed. He was a walking contradiction, and Rachel liked that.

"My name's Rachel. Rachel Pendragon," she grinned, extending her hand. Storm blinked at her and laughed, taking her hand.

"Well if we're getting all fancy with last names, the name's Storm Cloud," he said. Rachel stared at him, trying really hard not to laugh. Storm laughed again, almost as if he was doing it for her. "Yeah, I know. My parents are goobers, they couldn't resist poking fun at the last name. Ah well, I like my name. It sounds fierce," he smirked. Rachel nodded in agreement. I like my name, too, she thought. Pendragon…It sounds noble. She vaguely heard Storm's voice asking a question, but didn't quite catch it in her thoughts.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked: do you have any Pokemon of your own?" Rachel felt her heart thrill. DO I have any Pokemon? she thought frantically. She glanced at her pants, searching for a belt of some sort. A bag, anything would work. She smiled as she saw a small chain hanging out of the pocket of her jeans with six little red-and-white balls.

"Yeah, I do," she responded simply. I must have come here with the Pokemon that were with me on my team, Rachel thought happily. That means I still have that Rhydon! That one rocked! She heard Storm's voice again, but again didn't distinguish the words.

"Wha…?" Storm chuckled.

"You're awfully spacey," he said lightly. Rachel stared at him for a moment, but took it to not be an insult. "I said I only have four, but they're the best buds I could ask for," he smiled. "Umbreon, Houndoom, Absol, and Rattata." She noticed mildly how almost all of his Pokemon bore a resemblance to a dog or cat. Rattata was the oddball, being a mouse.

"I love Absols," Rachel gushed, and it was true. She had always loved the ever-versatile Pokemon, and it was adorable to boot! Storm smirked.

"So do I. I was pretty happy when I caught Norali." Norali? What a weird name, she thought. Kid's got taste, I like the sound of it. Norali, Faroa…where they all females? "I got my Umbreon, Sintha, through a trade. I was kinda sad to see my Electrode go, but it turned out to be a good trade. Sintha can't exactly blow up in my face when it's mad!" he laughed. Rachel laughed right along with him. What an easy-going person! I could get to liking this kid, he's very sincere and open. "And then I caught my Houndour, Roy, and he evolved into Houndoom a few months back. I treated them all to some Poketreats to celebrate," he smiled. "Most recently, though, I caught little Faroa," he said, patting the ball that had the Rattata inside. "She's cute as a button, but she's a little rebel. She's kind of a brat sometimes."

Rachel realized that this boy knew all about his Pokemon, and she didn't know a thing about hers. She hadn't caught them or raised them or anything! Well, I guess I'd better get to know them, then, she decided.

"You wanna see my Pokemon?" Rachel asked Storm, half-hopefully. Storm shrugged.

"Maybe later," he replied. He blinked self-consciously. "I mean, I don't mean to sound rude or anything. I just figured you'd wanna come home and rest for a bit before you went anywhere else. My mom runs an Inn in town," he said. Rachel stared.

"What town?" she asked. Storm glanced back at her over his shoulder, the ever-confident look on his face.

"Cerulean City. If you don't like water, you're gonna hate it."


	4. City of Water

This chapter will be back in Rachel's POV. Sorry if this is getting confusing 

I could hardly believe my eyes as we entered Cerulean City. I mean, sure, I'd seen it on video games, but it was just basic on there. Pokemon Center, a store, a few houses, maybe a river nearby, then you're on your way to a new Route. This…this was downright amazing!

Storm led me towards the center of the City, stopping by a huge fountain. I instantly fell in love with it, but I'm not sure why. It could have been the fact that the fountain had a stone Vaporeon spitting water into the heavens, or it could have been the fact that there were a bunch of Water Pokemon swimming around inside it, imitating the Vaporeon statue and spewing streams of water upwards, only to have it smack them back in the face. Ewww, I can imagine that's not the most fun experience you could have. But the Pokemon didn't seem to mind, making what I thought was little giggling sounds and diving underwater and sneaking up on each other. It was pretty cute, and I immediately relaxed. This beat seven shades of snot to having to just play the game.

Lining the edges of the city were tall pillars. The kind you'd expect to see at the Parthenon, y'know? In between the pillars were mini-waterfalls that seemed to be angled to catch the sunlight in just the right ways. It was so beautiful, if I didn't have any dignity or pride left, I woulda swooned on the spot. I wish dearly that cities could be like this in the real world. That would be awesome beyond all frickin' reason.

Storm glanced back at me and I looked up, a little startled. Had I zoned out again when he was talking?

"Uh, erm…yeah?" I asked meekly, not sure why he was watching me so intently. He only stared for a moment longer, those piercing green eyes seeming to search my soul…So I like to be poetic, got a problem with it? Sheesh, everyone's a critic these days! But, moving back to MY story, he just kept watching me for a second longer, then shrugged, his expression clearing and he smiled.

"Nothing, guess I just spaced out like you seem to do. You must be rubbin' off on me," he teased. I blinked, then grinned and gave him a playful shove in the back.

"Well sorry if I've never seen anything like this. We don't have stuff like this back at home." I didn't think anything of it when I said it, but a sharp glance from him made my laugh catch in my throat. Which, just for the record, is fairly painful. Storm narrowed his eyes at me this time and I felt nervous. I wanted to look away, but I felt like that would just offend him further. HAD I offended him? No clue. But he seemed rather intent on what I had to say, and having played Pokemon since the age of 7, the glare was setting off every RED ALERT my mind could blast in my head. But again, after a moment's tension, he turned away, actually smiling again.

"So I guess you know what you've been missin' out on now, huh?" he said, and not giving her time to respond, he stopped in front of a huge building, which being the Pokemon wanna-be-Master I am, knew instantly was a Gym. This was the Cerulean City Gym. Ho-ly crap…

"Welcome," he said dramatically and I almost chuckled, had I not been so riled up from the strange looks earlier. "To the Cerulean City Gym," he continued. "Or as I like to call it, 'home, sweet home'."

Has your jaw ever literally dropped? I mean, like, just BLAH and hang open? Well, I have. And I would watch it, because flies are sneaky little jerks.


End file.
